History:
Highgate station:
Highgate station was originally constructed by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway in the 1860s on its line from Finsbury Park station to Edgware station. Before the line was opened, it was purchased in July 1867 by the larger Great Northern Railway (GNR)whose main line from King's Cross ran through Finsbury Park on its way to Potters Bar and the north. The station opened along with the railway to Edgware on 22 August 1867.
Due to the hilly terrain, the station was built in a deep cutting excavated from Highgate Hill, adjacent to Archway Road. Tunnels penetrated the hillside at each end of the station, leading towards East Finchley to the north and Crouch End to the south. When built, the station had two side platforms, with three tracks between them, and a station building on the south side. A footbridge linked the two platforms.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, works to complete the electrification of the LNER lines were slowed or halted. The line from Finchley Central to Edgware closed for reconstruction on 11 September 1939. Northern line services were extended from East Finchley to High Barnet on 14 April 1940 and started serving the deep level platforms at Highgate on 19 January 1941, though not all of the new station buildings had been completed. The surface platforms at Highgate continued to be served by LNER steam trains.
After the war, plans to complete the Northern Heights project were reviewed. In early 1946, the conversion of the LNER line from Mill Hill East to Edgware was scheduled by the LPTB for completion between January 1947 and June 1948. No work was carried out as maintenance works and reconstruction of war damage on the existing network had the greatest call on London Underground funds. Funds for new works were severely limited and priority was given to the completion of the western and eastern extensions of the Central line to West Ruislip, Epping and Hainault. Despite being shown as under construction on Underground maps as late as 1950, work never restarted on the unimplemented parts of the Northern Heights project.
History from wikipedia.
Holborn union building:
This site has had multiple reports written up on it already so I will keep the history brief.
The Holborn Union Infirmary opened in 1879 on Archway Road, Highgate. The four-storey building had 625 beds. A recreation area at the back of the Infirmary was divided across the centre to keep the sexes apart. A two-storey block on the east of the site contained receiving wards, a doctor's residence and a dispensary.
1912: The nursing staff quarters were extended at the southern end of the site.
1921: It was renamed the Holborn and Finsbury Hospital.
1928: The Hospital took over Furnival House in Cholmeley Park for use as a Nurses' Home.
1930: The Hospital came under the control of the LCC, who renamed it the Archway Hospital.
1948: The Hospital merged with St Mary's Hospital across the road, and the Highgate Hospital in Dartmouth Park Road. The three Hospitals became the Whittington Hospital. The Archway Hospital became the Archway Wing, accommodating 416 beds.
1970 - 1988: The hospital incorporated the 8-storey Furnival Building to the site and the 3-storey Ely Building. By this time it had around 2000 beds.
1998: The Archway Wing of the Whittington Hospital was sold by the NHS and jointly purchased by University College London and Middlesex University.
1999: The hospital reopened as "The Archway campus", a research and education facility for health professionals
2014: Following its closure the previous year the Archway campus was sold to Peabody for redevelopment.
The Explore: (The good bit)
Following a trip to Deepdene Rail Control center we finished earlier than expected and began looking for something else to explore for the rest of the day. We settled on Old Highgate station and, after arriving earlier than expected we began to have a look around.
It seemed some local kids had used it as a hangout spot as evidenced by the smashed up lime bikes and general debris.
Arriving at the station, there were several locals already there.
After walking past the platform we reached the tunnels which unfortunately had been blocked off with no obvious way in.
Lots of useless graff.
The kind of graffiti I can appreciate
To our disappointment it seemed a fire had recently destroyed part of one of the buildings to the left of the platform
The remaining half:
Completely trashed
At this point our exploring was rudely interrupted by a police office strolling down the platform telling us and the locals to leave, no doubt heightened security following the fire. After our departure we still found ourselves with a couple hours of daylight left and nothing to do with it.
At this point it occurred to me that we were a 20 minute walk away from Archway hospital, a site I'd wanted to see ever since reading @Landie_Man 's report on it.
After reaching the site we spent a good half hour wandering around looking for an entrance. Eventually finding an unlocked fire escape door into what looked to be a boiler room buried in some undergrowth.
At this point, we realised the true scale of the site and concluded we would need to revisit it if we wanted to see everything. Regardless we used what little time we had left poking around the hospital
Boiler room?
Attic & Tower
Blub?
Some Beautiful decay
Lift next to stairs
Stairs to the top area, looks like it was sealed off at one point
A very dead bird
A contradicting cupboard!
Thanks to @Wastelandr for the help with my first report.
Credit to my mate Myen for the photos as my laptop wont take my cameras sd card.
Highgate station:
Highgate station was originally constructed by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway in the 1860s on its line from Finsbury Park station to Edgware station. Before the line was opened, it was purchased in July 1867 by the larger Great Northern Railway (GNR)whose main line from King's Cross ran through Finsbury Park on its way to Potters Bar and the north. The station opened along with the railway to Edgware on 22 August 1867.
Due to the hilly terrain, the station was built in a deep cutting excavated from Highgate Hill, adjacent to Archway Road. Tunnels penetrated the hillside at each end of the station, leading towards East Finchley to the north and Crouch End to the south. When built, the station had two side platforms, with three tracks between them, and a station building on the south side. A footbridge linked the two platforms.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, works to complete the electrification of the LNER lines were slowed or halted. The line from Finchley Central to Edgware closed for reconstruction on 11 September 1939. Northern line services were extended from East Finchley to High Barnet on 14 April 1940 and started serving the deep level platforms at Highgate on 19 January 1941, though not all of the new station buildings had been completed. The surface platforms at Highgate continued to be served by LNER steam trains.
After the war, plans to complete the Northern Heights project were reviewed. In early 1946, the conversion of the LNER line from Mill Hill East to Edgware was scheduled by the LPTB for completion between January 1947 and June 1948. No work was carried out as maintenance works and reconstruction of war damage on the existing network had the greatest call on London Underground funds. Funds for new works were severely limited and priority was given to the completion of the western and eastern extensions of the Central line to West Ruislip, Epping and Hainault. Despite being shown as under construction on Underground maps as late as 1950, work never restarted on the unimplemented parts of the Northern Heights project.
History from wikipedia.
Holborn union building:
This site has had multiple reports written up on it already so I will keep the history brief.
The Holborn Union Infirmary opened in 1879 on Archway Road, Highgate. The four-storey building had 625 beds. A recreation area at the back of the Infirmary was divided across the centre to keep the sexes apart. A two-storey block on the east of the site contained receiving wards, a doctor's residence and a dispensary.
1912: The nursing staff quarters were extended at the southern end of the site.
1921: It was renamed the Holborn and Finsbury Hospital.
1928: The Hospital took over Furnival House in Cholmeley Park for use as a Nurses' Home.
1930: The Hospital came under the control of the LCC, who renamed it the Archway Hospital.
1948: The Hospital merged with St Mary's Hospital across the road, and the Highgate Hospital in Dartmouth Park Road. The three Hospitals became the Whittington Hospital. The Archway Hospital became the Archway Wing, accommodating 416 beds.
1970 - 1988: The hospital incorporated the 8-storey Furnival Building to the site and the 3-storey Ely Building. By this time it had around 2000 beds.
1998: The Archway Wing of the Whittington Hospital was sold by the NHS and jointly purchased by University College London and Middlesex University.
1999: The hospital reopened as "The Archway campus", a research and education facility for health professionals
2014: Following its closure the previous year the Archway campus was sold to Peabody for redevelopment.
The Explore: (The good bit)
Following a trip to Deepdene Rail Control center we finished earlier than expected and began looking for something else to explore for the rest of the day. We settled on Old Highgate station and, after arriving earlier than expected we began to have a look around.
It seemed some local kids had used it as a hangout spot as evidenced by the smashed up lime bikes and general debris.
Arriving at the station, there were several locals already there.
After walking past the platform we reached the tunnels which unfortunately had been blocked off with no obvious way in.
Lots of useless graff.
The kind of graffiti I can appreciate
To our disappointment it seemed a fire had recently destroyed part of one of the buildings to the left of the platform
The remaining half:
Completely trashed
At this point our exploring was rudely interrupted by a police office strolling down the platform telling us and the locals to leave, no doubt heightened security following the fire. After our departure we still found ourselves with a couple hours of daylight left and nothing to do with it.
At this point it occurred to me that we were a 20 minute walk away from Archway hospital, a site I'd wanted to see ever since reading @Landie_Man 's report on it.
After reaching the site we spent a good half hour wandering around looking for an entrance. Eventually finding an unlocked fire escape door into what looked to be a boiler room buried in some undergrowth.
At this point, we realised the true scale of the site and concluded we would need to revisit it if we wanted to see everything. Regardless we used what little time we had left poking around the hospital
Boiler room?
Attic & Tower
Blub?
Some Beautiful decay
Lift next to stairs
Stairs to the top area, looks like it was sealed off at one point
A very dead bird
A contradicting cupboard!
Thanks to @Wastelandr for the help with my first report.
Credit to my mate Myen for the photos as my laptop wont take my cameras sd card.
